NFA back where it belongs - on top

Sunday

Mar 2, 2014 at 2:00 AM

NEW PALTZ — Newburgh Free Academy's fans — always a presence when the Goldbacks play — reached a fever pitch with chanting, clapping and happily carrying on in the final minute of Saturday's Section 9 Class AA boys' basketball championship.

JUSTIN RODRIGUEZ

NEW PALTZ — Newburgh Free Academy's fans — always a presence when the Goldbacks play — reached a fever pitch with chanting, clapping and happily carrying on in the final minute of Saturday's Section 9 Class AA boys' basketball championship.

On the court, some of Newburgh's players, from Justin Mitchell to Josiah Borden, to Ja'kwan "Slinky" Jones couldn't help but acknowledge the fans, pointing and smiling to the crowd. In return, there was more cheering and gyrating from the bleachers and, finally, a familiar refrain: "The NEW-BURGH" victory chant.

Yes, it certainly feels good to be back on top.

Top-seeded Newburgh put away defending champion Kingston, 72-60, at SUNY New Paltz to win its first Class AA title in three years. Most local teams would sign up for a Section 9 championship every three years. Of course, the expectations are much different in Newburgh.

For all of the big-time players Newburgh has produced throughout the years, senior point guard Donovan Fields might have put up one of the best performances under the championship lights. He scored a career-high 36 points — 18 in each half — highlighting the Goldbacks' 15th straight win.

"The crowd was great. I love them," said Fields, a three-year player. "It feels great to win this for them and the community. I wasn't going to lose. I took this game personally. We weren't going to lose. To win it, is a great feeling. It's a culmination of all the hard work we have put in and overcoming the setbacks we've had."

Newburgh (20-1) moves on to the first round of the state playoffs, where it will play Mount Vernon or Spring Valley at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at New Paltz. Mount Vernon and Spring Valley play for the Section 1 title at noon Sunday at the Westchester County Center. Newburgh has not lost since falling Dec. 27 to Scotia-Glenville in the Schenectady Tournament.

Newburgh beating second-seeded Kingston Saturday gave the Goldbacks a three-game sweep against their rival this season. Of course, nothing came without a good, hard fight. Newburgh led 33-26 at halftime and by as many as 10 points during the third quarter.

However, Kingston's Pat Dorrian culminated a run with a steal in Newburgh's backcourt and an easy lay-up to tie the game 48-48 late in the third. Sophomore Anthony Gaines led Kingston (15-6) with 19 points and Dorrian had 14. The much-anticipated game entered the fourth quarter tied 48-48 and the Tigers took their first and only lead of the game, 50-49, on a basket by Gaines with 7:40 remaining.

Then came another one of Fields' runs. He answered Dorrian's big play with six straight points to put Newburgh up 55-50. Kingston, which returned only one starter this season, Dorrian, battled back to 55-53. However, Borden hit a jumper for the Goldbacks. Jones followed with a basket in the paint and two free throws to give Newburgh a 61-53 lead with 3:15 remaining.

"It feels good to bring it back," said Jones, who had 10 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks. "Especially because everyone was coming after us. Our season didn't mean anything if we didn't win this. We had to win this and we went out and did it."

After the win, Newburgh celebrated on the court with the usual scenes: Hugs, team pictures and lots of posing with the championship plaque.

However, once the court cleared, the jubilation continued in a corner of the small arena with players still grasping the plaque. Newburgh might have a lot of history, but this is the first time any of these played pulled off a win such as this.

Even stone-faced Newburgh coach Matt Brown, in his third season, couldn't help but almost get choked up. Brown played for the 1998 Newburgh team that reached the semifinals of the Class A state tournament and previously served as the Goldbacks' junior varsity coach.

"It feels great to bring the title back," Brown said. "The kids deserve it. It just feels good to be back on top because we all worked so hard for this. We all really wanted this pretty bad."